Hi Timothy!

Marie Irvin from St. Helen Catholic School in Geogetown here.

Thank you so much for the workshop last Saturday! Being my second workshop with you on this topic, I was able to review the concepts and practices I had forgotten from 4 years ago, as well as glean many new ideas!

I wanted to share a photo of my room with you - not to show off (although I love showing off my room), but to give you a glimpse of the wonderful difference your workshops make in the lives of teachers and students. This is of my room in a typical condition. I think it has lots of visual learning/ right brain activity examples in it - - -

Four student-made "Author's Purpose" posters are taped to the wooden cabinet, "Three Branches of Government" mobiles (with photos of current government leaders) are hanging from the ceiling, meaning maps are hanging from the front of the desks (word connections made using vocabulary from our vocabulary workbook - started in class yesterday and finished at home as a homework assignment), Battleship, Connect Four, and Chess games are on the top of the maroon cabinet, a card chart of book reports in process and completed is hanging near the door, a visual map of history is posted on the back of the door, representations of our faith are near the prayer table since this is a Catholic school, and a world map is posted on the wall so that at any time I or students can use my laser pointer to indicate places mentioned during the day.

The front of the room which is not shown has a ceiling projector and an overhead projector - both of which I use extensively throughout the day to show visuals of my lessons and, in the case of the ceiling projector, use with my computer to enhance lessons in endless ways through programs, internet, PowerPoints, and student-created visuals.

I don't mean to brag, but I am so happy teaching the way I teach since, as shown by our little "test" in your workshop, I am a right-brain dominate person. You are welcome to share my classroom photo in any way with anyone if you think it of value to do so.

If you ever want a topic for another workshop - facilitating the sharing of different types of right-brain activity ideas in small groups would be fun and of great use to many of us - for me, I know it would be awesome.

Thank you again for how you have enriched my teaching and the lives of my students throughout the years.
God bless - Marie